Expansible core for glass filament windings



Oct. 27, 1953 A. c. RADTKE EXPANSIBLE CORE FOR GLASS vFILAMEINT WINDINGS Filed Nov. 18, 195o 2 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 27, 1953 A. c. RADTKE EXPANSIBLE CORE FOR GLASS FILAMENT WINDINGS Filed Nov. 18, 195o 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. Z7, 1953 Adelbert C. .Radtke, Oak Park, Ill., assigner to International Harvester Company, a corporation of New Jersey ApplicationNovember 18, 1950, Serial No. 196,479

7 Claims. l

This invention relates toa new and improved expansible core for glass filament windings.

'I'he present invention is directed to an apparatusfor receiving glass iilament windings in the manner of the device as shown for example in the patent to Gaines Slayter 2,457,786 dated December 28, 1948.

`Devices of this type employ an expanding mandrel or collet over which is carried -a paper sleeve :for receiving windings of glass or other filaments. A continuous plurality of glass filaments are drawn from a glass furnace and-are wound onto the paper core. The glass iilaments being drawn will be attenuated, and in view of the intermittently disposed expanding members of the mandrel the flexible paper `sleeve or core upon vwhich the glass filaments are drawn creates a plurality of alternate peaks or valleys around the circumference of the paper core. The glass filaments are wound under greater pressure `at the mandrel peaks and are lthus drawn more finely at these points, with the result the glass filament does not have a uniform `strength throughout its length but rather is weakened at the points which were positioned on the peaks of the expanding mandrel.

oftentimes glass filaments have coatings applied thereto after the glass filaments leave the forming die and the expanding mandrels of the winding tubes tend to cause fusion of the coated filaments at the several peak pressure points around the periphery thereof. This, of course, makes removal of the coated strand .from rthe spool extremely dimcult.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide an expansible core Vfor expanding mandrels presenting a substantially uniform fixed surface throughout the entire circumference to provide for uniformly tensioned glass or other laments which may be wound thereon and aminimum of fusion of adjacent convolutions.

An important object of this invention is the provision of an expanding core for the winding tube of a continuous glass filament wherein the core has a balanced rotational inertia.

Another object of this invention is to supply an expansible metal sleeve for association with an expanding mandrel to receive nlament windings, the sleeve having a spirally disposed slot formed by adjacent ends of the sleeve with spaced apertures diametrically disposed with respect to the spiral slot to accomplish rotational balance of the sleeve.

Another and further important object of this invention is to provide an expanding metal sleeve having its adjoining edges with alternate projections and recesses whereby there is an intertting of the adjoining edges of the sleeve.

,Other and further important objects of this invention will become apparent from the disclosures in the following lspecification 4and accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a sectional View of `an expandingmandrel with the expansible sleeve ofthis invention mounted thereover.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the expanding metal sleeve of this invention.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing'a modified form of expanding metal sleeve.

Fig. 4 is another perspective view showing a still further modified `form of expansible metal sleeve,

As shown in the drawings:

The reference numeral I0 indicates generally an expanding mandrel or collet mounted on a shaft II for rotation therewith. The Vmandrel I0 is provided with a disk-like portion I2 having radially extending slots I3 projecting inwardly from the outer edge of the disk I 2. The slots are l regularly spaced around the periphery of the disk I2 and limit arcuate swinging movement of blades I4 which are pivotally attached at I5 on the disk I2. The outer portions of the plurality of blades I4 are rounded as shown at I6, and the expanding mandrel Ii) comprises the plurality 'of blades I4 with their outer rounded ends I6 whichmove radially outwardly by centrifugal force Aoccasioned by rotation of the shaft II and thus also the mandrel IIJ.

An expansible metal sleeve Il is adapted'to fit over the outer rounded edges I6 of the blades I4. The sleeve I'l is made from a sheet metal preferably a steel having spring characteristics. Thel sheet steel is shaped in a parallelogram with a ends to be rolled up cut `on a diagonal so that when it is rolled into a sleeve of tubular shape there is provided a spiral slot or `path I8 defined by the adjoining side edges I9 `and 2i). As the mandrel blades I l swing outwardly t-he tube Il expands by a spreading of the spiral path I8. A plurality of regularly spaced apertures `2I are provided in a spiral path dametrically opposed to the spiral slot It. The purpose of the apertures 2| is to provide a lightening of the metal `tube Il along a path which is diametrically disposed with respect to the spiral slot I8. The `amount of metal removed from the apertures 2| thus compensates for the space between the vadjoining spiral edges It and 2t with the result that the sleeve Il has a balanced rotation inertia. It should, of course, be obvious that the metal lightening means may take forms other 'than apertures such as shown at 2 I, and it is essential only that the distribution of weight Abe balanced around the circumference of the cylindrical sleeve Il. The purpose of the spiral path I3 in deference to a straight transverse .slot insures that the filament which is wound on the core will be 3 evenly attenuated without undue strains or pressure points.

In operation, the expanding mandrel I6 is idle when the expansible metal sleeve I'I is applied over the radially extending blade members I4. A paper core or spool 22 is then applied over.

the metal sleeve Il and thereafter the shaft I I and the mandrel I are rotated. The rounded ends i6 of the swinging blades I4 are thrown radially outwardly by reason of the centrifugal force occasioned by rotation and there is a tendency for the edges I9 and 20 of the rolled tube I'I to spread. The spiral disposition of the path I3 and the balancing of the expansible sleeve by reason of the apertures 2I minimize undue strain on the paper core throughout any localized area thereof. The paper core 22 thus presents a smooth unbroken surface about which an endless filament such as glass as shown at 23 in Fig. 1 may be Wound.

Fig. 3 shows a spring steel tube 24 having a generally spiral path 25 formed by reason of the adjoining edges 26 and 2I of the side edges of the rolled tube and similarly employs counterbalancing apertures 28 in a spiral path which is diametrically opposed to the spiral path 23 dened by the adjacent edges of the cylindrical sleeve 24. Thus the tubes I'I and 24 are substantially identical but for the adjoining edges of the sheet steel being provided with alternate projections and recesses which are alternately disposed on the edges 26 and 2'! so that there is an interfitting of a projection with an oppositely disposed recess. As shown in Fig. 3, a projection 29 on the edge 26 mates with a recess or depression 30 on the edge 21. Similarly, a recess 3l on the edge 26 mates with a projection 32 on the edge 2l. The projections and recesses, as shown in Fig. 3, are in the form of smoothly curved scallops. The operation of the tube 24 is identical with that of the .tube I'I but further insures maximum expansibility without a complete separation of the vadjoining edges 26 and 2l and thus preventing a collapse of the paper core 22 fitting over the top of the expansible metal sleeve.

Fig. 4 similarly shows a corresponding expansible metal sleeve 33 which is similar to the previously described sleeves I'I and 24. The sleeve 33 has a generally spirally disposed path 34 defined by Yadjoining edges 35 and 36 which are positioned adjacent each other when the sheet steel is rolled into tubular form. Here again, the metal is lightened byvmeans of apertures 31 diametrically opposed to the spiral path or slot 34 in order that the sleeve may have its weight distributed evenly around the periphery thereof so that it is conducive to smooth non-surging rotation. The adjoining edges 35 and 36 have projections and recesses corresponding to the sleeve 24 shown in Fig. 3. Rather than being smooth scallops, the projections and recesses are sharply defined teeth. However, the projections 38 on the edge 35 interfit with oppositely disposed recesses 39 in the edge 36, and the recess 46 of the edge 35 intert with projections of the edge 36, thus being similar to the intertting projections and recesses of the sleeve 24. The function of the intertting projections and recesses is identical to that of the projections and recesses of the sleeve 24 wherein a separation of the adjoining edges 35 and 36 upon expansion of the blades I4 of the mandrel I3, although increasing the width of the generally spiral path 24, will not cause a complete separation of the edges 35 and 36.

` It will thus be apparent that herein is provided '4 expansible sleeve means for operation in conjunction with expanding mandrels upon which glass or other filaments are wound with a substantially constant tension throughout. Various details of construction may be varied throughout a wide range without departing from the principles disclosed herein, and I therefore do not propose limiting the patent granted hereon otherwise than as necessitated by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An expansible core for receiving windings of filaments comprising a metal sheet formed as a sleeve in a cylindrical shape, said sleeve dening a smooth cylindrical passage on the interior thereof, said sleeve having adjacent unattached side edges of the metal sheet extending the full length of the cylindrically shaped sleeve, and said sleeve having means diametrically opposite the adjacent unattached side edges for lightening the metal whereby the reduced weight of the sleeve at the discontinuous side edges is compensated for by the lightening of the metal on the diametrically opposite side for a balanced rotational inertia.

2. An expansible core for receiving windings of glass iilaments comprising a metal sheet formed as a sleeve in a cylindrical shape, said sleeve dening a smooth cylindrical passage on the interior thereof, said sleeve having adjacent unattached side edges of the metal sheet extending the full length of the cylindrically shaped sleeve, and said sleeve having apertures at intervals along the length thereof diametrically opposite the adjacent unattached side edges whereby the reduced weight of the sleeve at the discontinuous side edges is compensated for by the apertures on the diametrically opposite side of the sleeve resulting in a rotationally balanced inertia sleeve.

3. An expansible core for receiving windings of glass filaments comprising a metal sheet formed as a sleeve in a cylindrical shape, said sleeve having adjacent unattached side edges of the metal sheet extending the length thereof, and said sleeve having apertures at intervals along the length thereof diametrically opposite the adjacent unattached side edges whereby the reduced weight of the sleeve at the discontinuous side edges is compensated for by the apertures on the diametrically opposite side of the sleeve resulting 1n a rotationally balanced inertia sleeve, said adjaclnt unattached side edges disposed in a spiral pa 4. A device as set forth in Claim 3 in which the apertures are arranged in a spiral path whereby the apertures are diametrically opposite the spiral path of the side edges.

5. A device as set forth in claim 4 in which the side edges have oppositely disposed projecting and recessed portions whereby there is an intertting of the adjacent side edges.

6. A device as set forth in claim 5 in which the projecting and recessed portions are smoothly curved scallops.

'7. A device as set forth in claim 5 in which the projecting and recessed portions are sharply defined teeth.

ADELBERT C. RADTKE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

